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Scientists administered a fully protective dose of the broadly neutralizing antibody PGT121 to rhesus monkeys and challenged them intravaginally with simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV)-SF162P3. In PGT121-treated animals, they detected low levels of viral RNA and viral DNA in distal tissues for several days following challenge. [Science]
Abstract

Lung-resident T cells had reduced KLRG1 and increased CXCR3 expression, an intermediate state of Th1 differentiation that has been associated with M. tuberculosis protection. Importantly, KLGR1− CXCR3+ cells were also enriched in the lung vasculature and peripheral circulation of vaccinated animals, but not controls. [Mucosal Immunol]
Full Article

Investigators performed a longitudinal analysis of the human NK cell response to tick-borne encephalitis virus infection in a cohort of infected individuals from the onset of severe clinical symptoms to the convalescence phase. NK cell activation, as measured by expression of Ki67, was apparent at the time of hospitalization. [J Immunol]
Abstract

ViiV Healthcare announced the start of a Phase III program to support regulatory filings for a two-drug regimen of dolutegravir and lamivudine as a treatment for HIV-1 infection in adults who have not received prior antiretroviral therapy. [ViiV Healthcare]
Press Release

The IHV at the University of Maryland School of Medicine announced a $14.4 million grant from the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to tackle a significant scientific global challenge in HIV vaccine research – the inability to produce long-lasting antibodies to protect against HIV infection. [Institute of Human Virology]
Press Release

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced an agreement with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to manufacture and study two antibody therapies for the potential prevention and treatment of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). [Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.]
Press Release

Large genomic databases are indispensable for scientists looking for genetic variations associated with diseases. But they come with privacy risks for people who contribute their DNA. A 2013 study showed that hackers could use publicly available information on the Internet to identify people from their anonymized genomic data. [Nature News]
Editorial

British scientists say they’re relieved by a government promise to guarantee them funding for existing EU research projects, even after the country leaves the European Union. But the reassurance only partly allays concerns about Brexit’s effect on UK science. [Nature News]
Editorial

A new type of cancer drug developed at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, but not yet tested in clinical trials may have triggered the deaths of three patients who were undergoing an alternative cancer treatment by a nonmedical practitioner in Germany. Germany has many such practitioners, and the field is loosely regulated. The public prosecutor in Germany is now investigating whether the case constitutes involuntary manslaughter. [ScienceInsider]
Editorial

Many researchers who watched Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009 were thrilled by his pledge to “restore science to its rightful place”. But scientists and legal scholars say that, in many ways, Obama has failed to live up to that lofty promise. [Nature News]
Editorial